Review: Viking vs. Mack (Thunders Arena)

It's nice to see Thunders Arena taking preparedness to a new level after Hurricane Irma. They have one Viking, but still went out and got themselves a spare. Smart. Viking's new doppelgänger is called Mack, like the truck brand. It makes sense to avoid confusion, although I might've gone with Viking 2 or Bizarro Viking.

Anyway, I was intrigued by the idea of seeing OG Viking battle this new Viking 2 dude, so I jumped at Viking vs. Mack. How did it go? Is it possible to have too much Viking? And what of my love for contrasts between wrestlers? No worries. This one worked out very, very well.

You can never have too many Vikings.

This is my first time seeing Viking 1 step into the ring. I also bought Viking vs. Brute, but I watched this first. I will say that he looks leaner and his 6'6" height is less obvious against a man who's basically his exact same size, but he's still ripped and sexy AF. I love his lumbersexual aesthetic. V1 brings the same personality to a new setting - smooth, confident, smiley and eager to dominate another hot muscleman.

New Viking aka Mack isn't a twin. More like a brother, cousin or just similar friend. At 6'4"/255-lbs, he's listed as 2" shorter and 5-lbs lighter, but I didn't notice. Mack shares the same general vibe and personality, right down to his red trunks, which Viking has worn previously. He also shares a love of ink (it's trendy, I get it, even if I don't love it) and domination (which is timeless and I do love it). Mack is just as confident, smooth, smiley and eager.

One place where Mack is superior is his sweat-quotient. The guy's smooth torso literally shines under the arena lights. It's freaking beautiful. Mack loves to show off his glistening muscles every chance he gets. Better yet, he often does it within the action. Even when he doesn't, I didn't feel like he was slowing down or stopping the match.

These dudes are undeniably hot, but I'd argue that
guys with tattoo sleeves are wasting their time flexing
their biceps. The size and definition are lost in their ink.

Okay, shiny Mack is hot, but not because of his bicep.
(Not a spoiler ... it's not the end of the match)

Huh, these guys are really trying to prove me wrong
about tattoo sleeves.

This is the first time I've seen Viking in a ring, but also the first time in a fair competitive match. Viking vs. Mark Muscle (BB106) paired up big guys (reviewed here), but was a squash (looks like Mark's back for revenge in Bodybuilder Battle 109, but I haven't seen that one, yet). Viking vs. Scrappy 2 gave the smaller hunk the win (reviewed here), but it was through nefarious means in a Custom Series match, which are fan fantasies. To me, this is actually better.

What makes this video with two similar studs work? Well, for one thing, it's a simple battle of muscle and skill. No gimmicks here, just two hot dudes going at it. For another, the Vikings work great together. They have a natural chemistry. It feels like they're likely buddies or something, but I don't know that. Real or fake, I enjoyed their interactions and casual intensity.

No clear advantage in a classic collar-and-elbow.

Nope, the shoulder block settles nothing.

Viking tries to break the tie.

Not surprising that it's back-and-forth, given their similarities. They use a lot of similar holds - full nelsons, sleepers, scissors - each taking their turn at dominating before a conclusive ending that leaves one hunk flexing and one out cold. You've got to love that. Neither of these guys are likely used to losing, so it's hot to see.

You only hurt the ones you love.

Mack is a lot shinier than Viking.

Mack loves to show off his ripped body.

And so, I end this post the same I way
I started it, with a sleeper.

In the end, a winner for fans of watching evenly-matched big men battle it out for supremacy. Both guys do a great job and they work perfectly together. I enjoy seeing Viking legitimately dominated by power and not tricks. I appreciate Mack's passion, energy and sweat glands. I look forward to seeing Viking's next battle vs. a bigger dude (Brute), but this one will be hard to top.

So that's my take. What's yours?

Alex

-2018